Promoting Hostels' Best Asset: the social factor

There have been a few forum discussions about what hostels are and how hostels should be promoted. Examples:

• http://www.hostelmanagement.com/forums/hostelworld-video-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-hostel.html
• http://www.hostelmanagement.com/forums/hilton-stealing-our-ideas.html -- a hotel chain tries to become more social
• http://www.hostelmanagement.com/forums/dorm-bed-bookings-down-private-room-bookings-up.html
• discussion about what is a hostel -- and definition of hostel
• http://www.hostelmanagement.com/forums/how-make-hostelling-more-popular-usa.html

What if hostels and booking engines got together and started promoting the social aspect of hostel together? Instead of just promoting that 'hostels now have private rooms", hostels could promote that dorm rooms increase the chance you're going to meet people that you normally wouldn't meet. I think the dorm/social aspect of hostels should be heavily promoted as a positive thing. It's the main advantage hostels have over hotels.

"Hostels are fun places where you can meet other backpackers."

Should the promotion of hostels focus on dorms as being a main positive selling point instead of just, "of course hostels have dorms, but the good thing about hostels is that now they have private rooms and have facilities like hotels but cheaper."?

Could (should?) hostels work together to change the way hostels are promoted? (Possibly giving hostels some ideas about how hostels could be promoted in this way?)

Does anyone have notes from the EHM presentation about the future of hostelling that they would be willing to post here?

Providing the hostel industry with ideas about marketing angles for hostels:

My main point of this thread is to see if we could come up with ideas for promoting hostels -- and then provide those ideas to a large number of hostels through this site (either a PDF document, or a Wiki page).

For example:

What are the best aspects of hostels where hotels will never be able to compete? (social aspect, dorms, etc.) Here are some specific marketing ideas that promote these assets that hostels have.

Instead of promoting that "hostels are good because they now have private rooms and a swimming pool", promote hostels are places where you can meet other people and the dorms are a positive thing.

Maybe this could also help stop the current ridiculous trend where hotels are passed off as "boutique hostels".